South Korea currently has the highest overall suicide rate among OECD countries worldwide. The suicide rate among women in South Korea is significantly higher than that of women in any other country. Nevertheless, suicide is commonly more prevalent among men than women. Suicide in the U.S. The suicide rate in the United States has risen since the year 2000. As of 2022, there were around **** deaths from suicide per 100,000 population. The suicide rate among men in the U.S. is over ***** times what it is for females, a considerable and troubling difference. The suicide rate among men increases with age, with the highest rates found among men aged 75 years and older. Adolescent suicide Adolescent suicide is always a serious and difficult topic. A recent survey found that around ** percent of female high school students in the United States had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, compared to ** percent of male students. On average, there are around ** suicide deaths among adolescents per 100,000 population in the United States. The states with the highest rates of adolescent suicide include New Mexico, Idaho, and Oklahoma.

The suicide rate among females in the United States is highest for those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among girls aged 10 to 14 and elderly women 75 and over. Although the suicide rate among women remains over three times lower than that of men, rates of suicide among women have gradually increased over the past couple decades. Suicide among women in the United States In 2021, there were around six suicide deaths per 100,000 women in the United States. In comparison, the rate of suicide among women in the year 2000 was about four per 100,000. Suicide rates among women are by far the highest among American Indians or Alaska Natives and lowest among Hispanic and Black or African American women. Although firearms are involved in the highest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, they account for a much smaller share among women. In 2020, the firearm suicide rate among women was 1.8 per 100,000 population, while the rates of suicide for suffocation and poisoning were 1.7 and 1.5 per 100,000, respectively. Suicidal ideation among women Although not everyone who experiences suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, will attempt suicide, suicidal thoughts are a risk factor for suicide. In 2022, just over five percent of women in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Suicidal thoughts are more common among women than men even though men have much higher rates of death from suicide than women. This is because men are more likely to use more lethal methods of suicide such as firearms. Women who suffer from substance use disorder are significantly more likely to have serious thoughts of suicide than women without substance use disorder.

In 2019, Female Suicide Rates in Norway remained stable compared to a year earlier.

The countries with the highest suicide mortality rate worldwide in 2021 included Lesotho, South Korea, and Eswatini. In 2021, there were around 27.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 population in South Korea. Suicide in the United States Although the United States is not among the countries with the highest suicide mortality rate, suicide is still a major issue in the country. As with other countries, the suicide rate among males in the U.S. is much higher than among females. In 2022, there were around 23 suicide deaths among males in the United States per 100,000 population, compared to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 females. The states with the highest suicide rates are Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Risk factors and help Major risk factors for suicide include mental health issues and substance abuse problems; however, it can be difficult to predict who is at risk. Warning signs such as talking about wanting to die, expressing feelings of depression, suicidal ideation, and abusing drugs or alcohol should be taken seriously and help should be sought as soon as possible. Suicide hotlines exist in many countries around the world and one should not hesitate to discuss such issues and feelings with a health care provider.

Since the 1950s, the suicide rate in the United States has been significantly higher among men than women. In 2022, the suicide rate among men was almost four times higher than that of women. However, the rate of suicide for both men and women has increased gradually over the past couple of decades. Facts on suicide in the United States In 2022, the rate of suicide death in the United States was around 14 per 100,000 population. The suicide rate in the U.S. has generally increased since the year 2000, with the highest rates ever recorded in the years 2018 and 2022. In the United States, death rates from suicide are highest among those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among younger adults aged 15 to 24. The states with the highest rates of suicide are Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Suicide among men In 2023, around 4.5 percent of men in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Although this rate is lower than that of women, men still have a higher rate of suicide death than women. One reason for this may have to do with the method of suicide. Although firearms account for the largest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, firearms account for almost 60 percent of all suicides among men and just 35 percent among women. Suffocation and poisoning are the other most common methods of suicide among women, with the chances of surviving a suicide attempt from these methods being much higher than surviving an attempt by firearm. The age group with the highest rate of suicide death among men is by far those aged 75 years and over.

BackgroundIn Europe, men have lower rates of attempted suicide compared to women and at the same time a higher rate of completed suicides, indicating major gender differences in lethality of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which these gender differences in lethality can be explained by factors such as choice of more lethal methods or lethality differences within the same suicide method or age. In addition, we explored gender differences in the intentionality of suicide attempts.Methods and FindingsMethods. Design: Epidemiological study using a combination of self-report and official data. Setting: Mental health care services in four European countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and Portugal. Data basis: Completed suicides derived from official statistics for each country (767 acts, 74.4% male) and assessed suicide attempts excluding habitual intentional self-harm (8,175 acts, 43.2% male).Main Outcome Measures and Data Analysis. We collected data on suicidal acts in eight regions of four European countries participating in the EU-funded “OSPI-Europe”-project (www.ospi-europe.com). We calculated method-specific lethality using the number of completed suicides per method * 100 / (number of completed suicides per method + number of attempted suicides per method). We tested gender differences in the distribution of suicidal acts for significance by using the χ2-test for two-by-two tables. We assessed the effect sizes with phi coefficients (φ). We identified predictors of lethality with a binary logistic regression analysis. Poisson regression analysis examined the contribution of choice of methods and method-specific lethality to gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts.Findings Main ResultsSuicidal acts (fatal and non-fatal) were 3.4 times more lethal in men than in women (lethality 13.91% (regarding 4106 suicidal acts) versus 4.05% (regarding 4836 suicidal acts)), the difference being significant for the methods hanging, jumping, moving objects, sharp objects and poisoning by substances other than drugs. Median age at time of suicidal behaviour (35–44 years) did not differ between males and females. The overall gender difference in lethality of suicidal behaviour was explained by males choosing more lethal suicide methods (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.50; p < 0.000001) and additionally, but to a lesser degree, by a higher lethality of suicidal acts for males even within the same method (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.02; p = 0.000005). Results of a regression analysis revealed neither age nor country differences were significant predictors for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. The proportion of serious suicide attempts among all non-fatal suicidal acts with known intentionality (NFSAi) was significantly higher in men (57.1%; 1,207 of 2,115 NFSAi) than in women (48.6%; 1,508 of 3,100 NFSAi) (χ2 = 35.74; p < 0.000001).Main limitations of the studyDue to restrictive data security regulations to ensure anonymity in Ireland, specific ages could not be provided because of the relatively low absolute numbers of suicide in the Irish intervention and control region. Therefore, analyses of the interaction between gender and age could only be conducted for three of the four countries. Attempted suicides were assessed for patients presenting to emergency departments or treated in hospitals. An unknown rate of attempted suicides remained undetected. This may have caused an overestimation of the lethality of certain methods. Moreover, the detection of attempted suicides and the registration of completed suicides might have differed across the four countries. Some suicides might be hidden and misclassified as undetermined deaths.ConclusionsMen more often used highly lethal methods in suicidal behaviour, but there was also a higher method-specific lethality which together explained the large gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. Gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts were fairly consistent across all four European countries examined. Males and females did not differ in age at time of suicidal behaviour. Suicide attempts by males were rated as being more serious independent of the method used, with the exceptions of attempted hanging, suggesting gender differences in intentionality associated with suicidal behaviour. These findings contribute to understanding of the spectrum of reasons for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal behaviour and should inform the development of gender specific strategies for suicide prevention.

Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 11.400 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.800 NA for 2015. Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 13.600 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.100 NA in 2010 and a record low of 11.400 NA in 2016. Japan JP: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 7.000 NA in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 7.000 NA for 2015. Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.100 NA in 2010 and a record low of 6.500 NA in 2000. Canada CA: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

The countries with the highest suicide mortality rate worldwide in 2019 included Lesotho, Guyana, and Eswatini. Suicide rates of men are much higher than among women in many countries. Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates for men as of 2019, while South Korea reports the highest suicide rate for women.

In the United States

Although the United States is not among the countries with the highest suicide mortality rate, suicide is still one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. As with other countries, the suicide rate among males in the U.S. is much higher than among females. The age group with the highest rate of suicide is those aged 45 to 64 years, followed by 25 to 44-year-olds. The states with the highest suicide rates are Wyoming, Alaska, and Montana.

Risk factors and help

Major risk factors for suicide include mental health issues and substance abuse problems; however, it can be difficult to predict who is at risk. Warning signs such as talking about wanting to die, expressing feelings of depression, suicidal ideation, and abusing drugs or alcohol should be taken seriously and help should be sought as soon as possible. Suicide hotlines exist in many countries around the world and one should not hesitate to discuss such issues and feelings with a health care provider.

In 2024, the 50- to 59-year-old age group had the highest suicide rate in Japan, with **** suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The self-inflicted death rate among young people under 20 years was ***. Japan's recent suicide rates While the country's suicide rate had initially shown a downward trend in the most recent decade, 2020 marked the first year that the suicide numbers rose again. The COVID-19 pandemic likely caused this unexpected upward trend. From a gender perspective, Japanese men were more likely to commit suicide than women. **** deaths per 100,000 male inhabitants were reported in 2024, compared to a female suicide rate of **** in the same year. What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?  Many factors are being blamed for the Japan's high suicide rates, including bullying, isolation, and a lack of a proficient mental healthcare system. Among others, financial worries and problems directly related to work have been one of the main reasons for self-inflicted deaths in the past years. Historically, the country's high suicide rates have been closely linked to the economic situation of the individuals. Japan’s suicide numbers peaked in 2009 when the country experienced its worst recession since World War II.

Vietnam VN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 3.700 NA in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3.700 NA for 2015. Vietnam VN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 3.600 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.700 NA in 2016 and a record low of 3.500 NA in 2005. Vietnam VN: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Olympic athletes: the epitome of health and fitness, role models for their communities, and competing on the world stage. Is there a cost incurred by highlighting the achievements of these elite athletes? Suicide, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is death by injuring oneself whereby death was the intent (Suicide Prevention: Facts, 2022). A person harming themselves with death as the intention but not the outcome is classified as a suicide attempt (Suicide Prevention: Facts, 2022). In the general population, suicide is one of the leading causes of death, especially amongst younger people where it is the fourth leading cause of death (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). In 2019, the global age-standardized suicide rate was 9 deaths per 100,000 people (World Health Organization (WHO), 2021). The risk factors for suicide are multifaceted and complex, ranging from a history of mental health issues, serious illnesses, chronic pain, financial stress, substance use, adverse childhood experiences, and difficulties in relationships (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). Differences in sociodemographic variables have been linked with suicide rates (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). For example, the suicide rate for males (~12.6 per 100,000) is typically higher than females (5.4 per 100,000) (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). Economic factors may also play a role given the largest portion of deaths by suicide occur in lower-income and middle-income countries (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022), yet high-income countries report higher age-standardized rates of suicide (10.9 per 100,000) (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022). More than half (58%) of global suicides occur in persons less than 50 years of age (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022) implicating stage of life as a plausible risk factor linked with death by suicide. Overall, suicide rates have been declining since 2000 with a 36% reduction noted in 2019 compared with 20 years earlier (Suicide Prevention: Risk, 2022).

Sports and athletes can be ‘newsworthy’, so there is heightened media attention when high-profile athletes die from suicide. Research examining suicide and athletes has focused primarily on collegiate (or university-level) athletes. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over a nine-year period, the rate of death by suicide in athletes was 1.35 per 100,000 in males, and 0.37 per 100,000 in females, both of which are lower than suicide rates for age-matched students (Rao et al., 2015). NCAA football had the highest relative rates of suicide at 2.25 per 100,000 yet this rate is still lower compared against other students matched for age and sex (Rao et al., 2015). In football, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE) has been gaining traction as one risk factor leading to death by suicide (Rao, 2018). To date, studies of suicide and athletes competing at other levels of sport (e.g., Olympics, etc.) appear sparse. One study of US Olympians compared mental disorders, substance abuse, and self-harm reported by athletes with the public noting athletes had a lower risk of death by suicide from these factors (Rao, 2018). Suicidal ideation was reported by 1 in 6 Swedish athletes competing at the international level (Timpka et al., 2019). Finally, retirement may be a factor to consider in suicide prevention initiatives given that male athletes competing in power sports (e.g., wrestling, Olympic lifting, etc.) retiring between 30 and 50 years of age were 2 to 4 times more likely to die by suicide than non-athletes of the same ages (Lindqvist et al., 2014).

To date, limited research has been reported on Olympic athletes and suicide. Further research is warranted to determine the frequency of suicide rates in Olympians plus identifiable risk factors for death by suicide reported by this cohort of elite athletes.

United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 4.400 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.500 NA for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 4.500 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.800 NA in 2000 and a record low of 3.900 NA in 2010. United Kingdom UK: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

As of 2022, the U.S. states with the highest death rates from suicide were Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming. In Wyoming and Montana, there were around ** and ** suicide deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. In comparison, in New Jersey, the state with the lowest suicide death rate, there were only around * suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Differences in suicide rates by gender In the United States, there is a vast difference in suicide rates between men and women, with rates over *** times higher among men. However, rates of suicide for both men and women have increased over the past couple of decades. Among men, those aged 75 years and older have the highest suicide rates, with around ** deaths per 100,000 population in 2021. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest rates of suicide death with *** deaths per 100,000 population. What is the most common method of suicide? In the United States, the most common method of suicide is with firearms, followed by suffocation and then poisoning. In 2022, there were around ****** suicide deaths from firearms in the United States, compared to ****** deaths from suffocation and ***** from drug poisoning. In 2021, firearms accounted for around ** percent of suicide deaths among men. In comparison, around ** percent of deaths from suicide among women were due to firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for ** percent of such deaths.

United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 7.200 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.100 NA for 2015. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 5.900 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.200 NA in 2016 and a record low of 4.900 NA in 2000. United States US: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Burundi's Suicide mortality rate, females is 3.4[Per 100,000 population] which is the 86th highest in the world ranking. Transition graphs on Suicide mortality rate, females in Burundi and comparison bar charts (USA vs. China vs. Japan vs. Burundi), (Tunisia vs. Bolivia, Plurinational State of vs. Burundi) are used for easy understanding. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

New Mexico was the state with the highest rate of suicidal death among adolescents in the U.S. in 2023, with around **** deaths per 100,000 adolescents. The overall suicide rate in the U.S. has increased over recent years. Suicide is more common among men than women, with rates among men almost **** times higher than among women. Risk factors Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders, as well as substance abuse. In fact, suicidal thoughts, plans to commit suicide, and suicide attempts are all more common among those with drug or alcohol dependence or abuse. In terms of suicides due to a known mental disorder, depression accounts for around ** percent of all such suicides. Methods Most suicides in the United States are carried out by firearms, however, the most common method of suicide differs from country to country. In 2022, over ****** suicides in the United States were conducted by firearms, or just over half of all suicides that year. Firearms are the most common means of suicide among both men and women in the United States, but suicide by poisoning is much more common among women than men.

Iceland IS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data was reported at 5.600 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.700 NA for 2015. Iceland IS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 6.000 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.500 NA in 2005 and a record low of 5.600 NA in 2016. Iceland IS: Suicide Mortality Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iceland – Table IS.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Dominican Republic's Suicide mortality rate, females is 1.8[Per 100,000 population] which is the 146th highest in the world ranking. Transition graphs on Suicide mortality rate, females in Dominican Republic and comparison bar charts (USA vs. China vs. Japan vs. Dominican Republic), (South Sudan vs. Greece vs. Dominican Republic) are used for easy understanding. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

Burkina Faso's Suicide mortality rate, females is 3.7[Per 100,000 population] which is the 80th highest in the world ranking. Transition graphs on Suicide mortality rate, females in Burkina Faso and comparison bar charts (USA vs. China vs. Japan vs. Burkina Faso), (Sri Lanka vs. Mali vs. Burkina Faso) are used for easy understanding. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.